What treats are ok to give while training.

[Dubby]

We are trying to treat jasper when he does as he is told including going outside for a loo break. My question is are there any decent treats that can be used on a regular basis while training.

[Nicola]

There's lots of things you can use depending on what your dog likes. I don't use a lot of training treats but when I do it's a mixture of 'commercial' treats such as Nature's Menu chicken treats, Gravy Bones, Fish4Dogs Stars or JWB CrackerJacks; home-made stuff like tuna bread or livercake and 'fresh' stuff like small pieces of chicken, cheese, ham, apple, hotdog sausage etc. You can also use pieces of your dog's kibble as treats. There are lots more possibilities than what I've listed above, it really depends what your dog likes.

Generally it's best to find out what your dog really likes and save this real high value stuff for the important things like recall etc. Whatever you feed them make sure you take it into account in their overall diet and adjust their actual meals accordingly so that you're not overfeeding them.

[Dubby]

Thats great thanks , he is mad on cheese cubes which are only small as he is only nine weeks old. I just dont want to over do it so thought id see what else was out there.

[Sarah1985]

I use cheese in high destraction enviroments. So at dog training mine get cheese ham or sausage. At home (low levels of destraction) I use JWB food as treats. I change the flavours each time to keep it varied.

The cheese might upset his belly if he has too much so it might be worth mixing in some dried treats whilest hes young so they get the smell and surprise cheese pieces, but are more what his digestion is used to.

[Dubby]

Thanks, we tried him of the JWB and he wasnt keen , so we tried the Bakers with soft bits in it will alternate between them.

Dave

[mooching]

Thanks, we tried him of the JWB and he wasnt keen , so we tried the Bakers with soft bits in it will alternate between them.

I'd honestly suggest that you don't give him Bakers as it contains loads of junk including artificial colouring and additives. And the "meat" content is "meat and animal derivatives" (ie non-specific).

When Alfie was little I used samples of different puppy kibble as training treats, keeping anything "higher value" (cheese, meat) for recall training. It's a matter of personal preference, but I didn't reward for toileting outside, just said "good boy" and made a lot of fuss of him.

Are you clicker training at all? Clicker training is really good for reinforcing good behaviour.

[Emma xx]

We only ever rewarded Alfie for doing a poo outside, not a wee. For a wee we just praised him loads. The treats we used for general training were puppy coachies, they're great as they're tiny and i used to break them into 3 as well to make them go even further. For recall training and for teaching him new things we normally use cocktail sausages chopped up into small pieces- he LOVES this so that's useful . Sometimes i just take some of his kibble with me though and this is also now what i use for general training at home.
Emma xx

[black taz]

what about some home made treats - liver or pilchard cake (recipes on-line).  I tend to use a lot of cooked chicken as well - i rarely buy dog treats anymore, just use suitable human food (you can usually cut it up into smaller pieces as well!)

[mooching]

Thanks, we tried him of the JWB and he wasnt keen , so we tried the Bakers with soft bits in it will alternate between them.

What JWB product was it, the kibble or the Mini Bites? If it was the latter, it might be that they were a bit big for him.

Puppy Coachies are nice and small, and handy to slip into pockets.